Rail joint



S. R. WEEKS ANDv C. C. BROWN.

RAIL 1o|NT. `APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24v, 1922.

1,416,144. Patented May16,1922.

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Auch i014 S. R. WEEKS AND C. C. BROWN. l

l RAIL lIOINI'.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1922.

Patented May 16,1922.

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UNir g sins -TENT-OFHCB siren n. WEEKS" AND CLARENCE crnowmor CAMPBELL; canrronnr..

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i T 0 all whom t may concern:

invented new and useful Improvements in Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our said invention is the provision of a railway rail joint that renders it unnecessary to employ fish plates and bolts, and is therefore calculated to facilitate the laying of a rail and to lessen the liability of accident.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in the improvement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification Figure 1 is a side elevation of the joint constituting the best practical embodiment of our inventionthat we have as yet devised.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken in the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Figure l.

Figures 4 and 5 are perspectives of tbe rail ends comprised in the joint.

Figure 6 is a perspective of the joint key.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding partsin all of the views of the drawings.

In accordance with our invention one of the rail ends comprised in the joint and which is shown in detail in Figure 4includes a web 1 and a base 2 extended beyond the major portion 3 of the rail, and an integral lug 4 at one side of the extended web 1, the said lug having a beveled forward end 5 and a square rear end G, Figures 2 and 4. The other rail end of the joint which is shown in detail in Figure 5 includes a thick and comparatively heavy portion 7 at the end of the major portion 6 of the rail. In the said heavy portion 7 are formed a longitudinal socket 8 with a lateral offset or sub-socket 9, and a transverse opening 10 that intersects the said sub-socket 9. At 11 in the portion 7 is provided a transverse threaded opening to receive the pivot bolt 12 of a gravitational latch 13, Figures 1-3.

ln addition to the elements referred to, the joint comprises a key 14, a bolt 15 and a spring 1G; the said bolt 15 being headed and extended loosely through an aperture 17 in specification of Lettersraient.` lPate'ntedMay 16, 1922, replication med February 24,1922. 'serial rm.2 538,853;

the key 14 and threaded into the rail portion 7, and the spring 16 being mounted on the bolt and interposed between the bolt head and the outer side of the upper portion of the key. At its outer side and adjacent to its lowerend the key 14 is provided with a hook 1S for the engagement and support of the latch 13.

In the preferred use of our improvement,

the rail end 1 is socketed endwise in the rail portion 7 until the lug `4 passes and' is engaged by the inward snapping of the. key 14, after which the latch 13 is swung downv wardly into the hook 18, Figures 1-3, when kthe facility with which the rail ends are joined.

To provide for expansion and contraction in use 'the socket 8, and sub-socket 9, are made somewhat longer than the lug 4, Figures 1 and 2.

l/Ve have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of our invention in order to impart a full, clear and exact understanding of the said embodiment. We

do not desire, however, tobe understood as confining ourselves to the said specific construction and relative arrangement of parts inasmuch as in the future practice of the invention various changes and modifications may be made such as .fall within the yscope of our invention as defined in our appended claim.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, istM A rail joint comprising two rail ends, one rail end having an extended reduced'portion and a lug at one side of said portion, and the other rail end having a socket and a subsocket to receive said reduced portion and lug and also having a transverse opening intersecting said sub-socket, the said lug hav ing a beveled forward end a square rear end,

in combination with a key in said traiisyeree opening and engaged with said lug, said key having -atransverse opening in its upper portion and a hook on the outer side o fits4 lower portion, a headed bolt extending loose- 1y through said opening of the keyand c0171- nected-tothe second-named rail end, a spring on the bolt and between the 4head thereof'- andthekey, and a gravitational latch pivtures.

SEBA R. WEEKS. CLARENCE C. BROWN. 

